FlyNano electric sea plane takes first test flight

(Phys.org) -- A single-seat carbon-fiber airplane designed for water operations and proposed as a fun flyer has taken its first test flight at Finlands Lake Hepari. The June test flight comes after more than a year since its introduction at an air show in Germany in 2011. The earlier FlyNano was showcased as a single-occupant petrol/electric microlight amphibious aircraft. The new FlyNano has undergone key changes to advance its readiness for takeoff. Gone are the petrol-engine models. The new engine, propeller, controller and batteries combine to produce a stronger model than the earlier structure.

FlyNano has stated that due to advances in batteries and electric motors, they ditched combustion models. The carbon fiber-bodied aircraft is now electric.

The video will load shortly

When the FlyNano concept was presented last year at the Aero 2011 trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, it was envisioned to be primarily powered with a combustion engine, said the Finnish aeronautics firm by the same name, FlyNano. However, the development of electric motors and batteries has been immense during the past year and the demand for electric powerlines has been increasing continuously.

The cruising speed is around 140 km/h (87 miles per hour). The rudder is controlled by pedals. Elevons (ailerons + elevators) and throttle are controlled intuitively by a stick with the right hand. The designers say their electric sea plane is quiet, and power-train vibration is reduced.

FlyNano's goal is to start production and deliver the first 35 planes to dealers by the end of 2013. The FlyNano plane has an ex-factory price listed on the company site as 32,000 euro ($40,000). Transport and storage trailer charges are extra.

A promotional portion of text on the site tells prospective customers that, If youve ever had a pilots licence youll fly Nano right out of the box. For the rest, knowledge of simple rules of the air will be required, says the team. The FlyNano FAQ page, however, directly answers the question of whether customers need a pilots license to fly the plane. According to the European Aviation Safety Association regulation. FlyNano is below the necessary weight of 70kg, which means that national authorities decide on the classification. "Nevertheless a good understanding of water plane operation, rules and aviation safety is requested." The company adds that We will clear the situation in several countries around the world within the following months.

FlyNano does not have a windshield, but in keeping with the companys philosophy of feel the wind, the recommended gear includes helmet or at least goggles and drysuit/wetsuit or similar clothing.

Related Stories

(PhysOrg.com) -- Aki Suokas, a Finnish aeronautical engineer, has just finished creating a unique single-seat aircraft this week. The project was completed at Aero Friedrichshafen, and it has been dubbed the FlyNano.

Together with partners, Siemens has built the worlds first aircraft with a serial hybrid electric drive system. The two-seater motor glider DA36 E-Star is presented by Siemens, Diamond Aircraft and EADS at the Paris ...

Last week, a Qantas Airbus 380 superjumbo jetliner made an emergency landing in Singapore following the mid-flight explosion of one of its engines that is manufactured by Rolls-Royce. All flights of Qantass A380 aircraft, ...

(PhysOrg.com) -- EADS is looking to release an entirely electricity powered plane by the year 2035. The plane, which has been dubbed the VoltAir, was shown off at the Paris Air Show, which took place last week. The Paris ...

On the theory that a driver who knows when a red light will turn green is more relaxed and aware, vehicle manufacturer Audi is unveiling this week in Las Vegas a technology that enables vehicles to "read" traffic signals ...

There you are, cruising down the freeway, listening to some tunes and enjoying the view as your autonomous car zips and swerves through traffic. Then the fun ends and it becomes time take over the wheel. How smooth is that ...

Roboticists at UC Berkeley have designed a small robot that can leap into the air and then spring off a wall, or perform multiple vertical jumps in a row, resulting in the highest robotic vertical jumping agility ever recorded. ...

7 comments

Just searched around a bit, and it does sport a 70km operational range. That's not half bad for a battery operated flyer. If I had a lake next to my appartment (and a lake at work) then that would be a real option.

If I had a lake next to my appartment (and a lake at work) then that would be a real option.

Well, if I remember correctly, that thing has a 45 mph / 70 kph takeoff/landing speed, so it's pretty much a nice weather plane. If there's roughness in the water, touching down at speed will be quite hazardous. You can imagine what it feels like to bounce off of a wave in a canoe that's going 40 knots.

If I had a lake next to my appartment (and a lake at work) then that would be a real option.

You would need time to re-charge the batteries before returning home, and battery performance deteriorates after repeated charging.

Something like this would be a ton of fun though.

I wonder how hard it is to keep water out of the cockpit, and what happens if those lower wings get a wave over them. I also wonder how easy/hard it would be to rock it from side to side with body movement.

lol, how long will it take for someone to launch one over a waterfall?

Interesting that it's water only, with no landing gear at all. I guess the weight budget favored water TOL over land.

It appears this vehicle is flying in ground effect only. hence the seaplane configuration. Try flying in ground effect over the ground and, whoops! Anybodies guess why they don't just admit that it can't fly out of ground effect.

Please sign in to add a comment.
Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more

Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.